screen one's (telephone/phone) calls
idiom
: to let an answering machine answer one's phone in order to hear who is calling before deciding to talk to whoever it is
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“Screen one's (telephone/phone) calls.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screen%20one%27s%20%28telephone%2Fphone%29%20calls. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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